[on Guys and Dolls (1955) I was born to play Sky Masterson the way [Clark Gable] was born to play Rhett Butler, but those bastards at MGM refused to loan me out.

[on his supposed rivalry with Fred Astaire ] If we had any resentment, it was not with each other but with the journalists who talked about two highly individual dancers as if they were one person. For instance, the sort of wardrobe I wore–blue jeans, sweatshirt, sneakers–Fred would never have been caught dead in. He was always immaculate at rehearsals, while I was always in an old shirt. Fred’s steps were small, neat, graceful and intimate where mine were ballet-oriented and athletic. But we were never rivals.